“The art of communication is the language of leadership.”
Today’s executives are being asked to communicate their organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy to more diverse audiences and in a variety of cultural settings. The key to success is a well briefed executive who is comfortable with the content, understands the business relevance of diversity and inclusion, and believes that they can deliver a powerful and motivational message.
Senior-level executives come with plenty of style and personality differences, as well as varying degrees of business priorities, engagement, cultural concerns, and acumen. When it comes to communicating corporate diversity and inclusion strategies, several consistent themes emerge.
Executives crave to:
- Be seen as the leader of the initiative
- Be in control and understood
- Appear genuine and sincere, and
- Always be allowed to “shine”
By making these things happen for the executives you support, you become an integral member of their inner circle and seen as not only a subject matter expert but as a valuable business resource and partner.
It takes time to gain that level of trust and certain building blocks that must be in place first. Here is a roadmap and some tips to consider when trying to accomplish these goals.
Building the foundation:
Before you go into an executive’s office with a diversity and inclusion communication plan or briefing points, step back and assess your current relationship with this person. Ask yourself these four important questions:
- Do you know the executive’s current business objectives and priorities? What business issues are keeping him/her up at night? Then ask, “How can getting the organization to embrace diversity and inclusion help the executive achieve these business objectives?”
- What is the executive’s “appetite” for diversity and inclusion and his or her communications style preferences? Once you know this, you can ask “How can you help him or her weave these themes in in a way that is genuine and that improves the message?”
- Have you previously demonstrated your skill as a diversity and inclusion subject matter expert? Do they know you? More importantly, do they see you as a business driver or a soft HR expense? “What are the two or three proof points you can share by way of background early in the conversation to solidify your position as a business focused Subject Matter Expert?”
- Do they understand the significance of the diversity and inclusion strategy? Do they see it as fluff or as a strategic business advantage? Develop a one-pager that gives the highlights and focuses on the benefit to the executive and to the business.
To ensure your relationship with the executive has a solid foundation for your relationship, schedule an introductory meeting to discuss:
- The diversity and inclusion business case
- What success looks like
- The significance to the company, and
- How the executive will take the lead to voice his or her support of the work
The idea is for each of you to walk away with a better understanding of the other person’s diversity, inclusion and business goals, answer any questions, and for you to discern how to add value to the diversity and inclusion message by leveraging the strengths of your executive.
Developing the Communication:
A successful diversity and inclusion initiative needs to have the united support of the top leaders of the organization. It is vital to have them speaking from the same talking points and using the same language to make the D&I message consistent, sustainable and meaningful to all employees.
